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I am of the opinion that there is something out there, but it's not dictated by a bunch of Islamic-Judeo-Christian fairy tales. Religion in the institutional sense served a purpose. It kept people in order and obedient. We are past that now. People have the freedom to differentiate religion and faith, but many fail to do so. The church itself recognized this, which is why you dont hear the word Hell being thrown around anymore. They have figured out that faith is stronger than these events that may or may not have happened.

The church is a business, that is all. Were there good intentions in the beginning? Yes. But as man evolved, so did his wicked, politically motivated ways to corrupt religion. The bible is a story, with some truth. What is fact and what is fiction is so blemished it is impossible to tell. Man is flawed, and thus man's interpretation of God's law is flawed.

I have no problem with religion itself, but I get enraged when religious beliefs are influencing the freedom of others to decide or even the health of others. I'm talking about restriction of embryonic stem cell research for example. Embryonic stem cell research does NOT involve the killing of life right now and is a likely cure to cancer and paralysis. And you know what, if it ever leads to a cure, I'm sure all Christians who want it banned now, will act as if their God gave it to us for good behaviour.

But thats the problem. People, especially in America, have morals rooted in the bible. And you can't run for a real position in America if you aren't a Christian. So stem cell research wont be legal, abortion for rape victims wont be fully legal or accepted, gay marriage wont be entirely legal. We are a secular country with deep christian values. Yes that is contradictory.

The new thing that the church claims, is that science is the human interpretation of god's miracles. Discoveries condemned centuries ago are now miracles.

I have no problem with religion itself, but I get enraged when religious beliefs are influencing the freedom of others to decide or even the health of others. I'm talking about restriction of embryonic stem cell research for example. Embryonic stem cell research does NOT involve the killing of life right now and is a likely cure to cancer and paralysis. And you know what, if it ever leads to a cure, I'm sure all Christians who want it banned now, will act as if their God gave it to us for good behaviour.

Christians are just afraid. They don't like to debate anything. It's "I'm right, and you're wrong. Oh, and you're going to hell."

Do you ever see atheists, or even Jews for that matter, picketing in the streets with signs saying, "GOD hates ***s" and "Thank GOD for dead soldiers", then doing this at funerals? Is that rally the Christian thing to do? Jesus said, "Love they neighbor". So what do his followers do? Damn everybody to hell.

I love seeing all these religious nuts running around screaming how abortion is murder. Guess they never read the teachings of SAINT Thomas Aquinas, who specifically said that a human being does not have a soul until birth. Thus, if Christians actually followed this teaching, abortion would not be murder. This is why I laugh every time I see a church or school named after him. They love his name, but don't listen to a damn word he says. Just another example of how they pick and choose what sins are.

On another note, a man I work with who is in his late 60's entered seminary when he was young, only to leave after six years because it was not for him. He really has a lot of good information on what the church is really about. The Catholic Church had no official stance on abortion until the 60's or 70's, when a priest in DC made a sermon on how he felt abortion was murder. Pretty soon, word spread, and people were asking the Church itself if this was just his stance, or their stance. After a while, they adopted that as the official stance. He even tells me of priests in New York performing marriages for homosexual couples inside churches because they did not see anything wrong with that. What happened to that kind Christian charity?

I love seeing all these religious nuts running around screaming how abortion is murder. Guess they never read the teachings of SAINT Thomas Aquinas, who specifically said that a human being does not have a soul until birth. Thus, if Christians actually followed this teaching, abortion would not be murder. This is why I laugh every time I see a church or school named after him. They love his name, but don't listen to a damn word he says. Just another example of how they pick and choose what sins are.

On another note, a man I work with who is in his late 60's entered seminary when he was young, only to leave after six years because it was not for him. He really has a lot of good information on what the church is really about. The Catholic Church had no official stance on abortion until the 60's or 70's, when a priest in DC made a sermon on how he felt abortion was murder. Pretty soon, word spread, and people were asking the Church itself if this was just his stance, or their stance. After a while, they adopted that as the official stance. He even tells me of priests in New York performing marriages for homosexual couples inside churches because they did not see anything wrong with that. What happened to that kind Christian charity?

Sadly, they do have the right to protest. I think they are so far out of line and so ridiculous amongst other things, but they do have that right. They give Baptists an even more horrible name than we already have, too. They disgust me.

I love seeing all these religious nuts running around screaming how abortion is murder. Guess they never read the teachings of SAINT Thomas Aquinas, who specifically said that a human being does not have a soul until birth. Thus, if Christians actually followed this teaching, abortion would not be murder. This is why I laugh every time I see a church or school named after him. They love his name, but don't listen to a damn word he says. Just another example of how they pick and choose what sins are.

On another note, a man I work with who is in his late 60's entered seminary when he was young, only to leave after six years because it was not for him. He really has a lot of good information on what the church is really about. The Catholic Church had no official stance on abortion until the 60's or 70's, when a priest in DC made a sermon on how he felt abortion was murder. Pretty soon, word spread, and people were asking the Church itself if this was just his stance, or their stance. After a while, they adopted that as the official stance. He even tells me of priests in New York performing marriages for homosexual couples inside churches because they did not see anything wrong with that. What happened to that kind Christian charity?

If Christians believe that the fetus has a soul, aborting them would actually be the best thing you could do for them according to the Christian faith. Seeing as how they have yet to be born and can not have committed any acts at all, they can not have sin. Without sin, they do not need Jesus' sacrifice to get into heaven. Basically, an abortion sends their soul directly to heaven. Christian's should insist that all pregnant women get abortions. It's the kindest thing they could do.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ― Neil Gaiman,

If Christians believe that the fetus has a soul, aborting them would actually be the best thing you could do for them according to the Christian faith. Seeing as how they have yet to be born and can not have committed any acts at all, they can not have sin. Without sin, they do not need Jesus' sacrifice to get into heaven. Basically, an abortion sends their soul directly to heaven. Christian's should insist that all pregnant women get abortions. It's the kindest thing they could do.

I'm catholic. I made communion, confirmation, the whole 9. With that said, I find it difficult to believe some of the things that are taught and some of the beliefs that go with it. My aunt was very religious, so much so that the church she belonged to actually sainted her at her funeral. She was the most loving and caring person you could ever meet. Now tell me how a woman can devote her life and time to God and she suffer from cancer from ... who knows how long? She had a double mastectomy when I was a kid ( im 38 now) and suffered from cancer in the years leading up to her death. Her youngest child was hit by a bus, he survived and he lives on his own now but he was fucked up needless to say. Her only daughter has serious mental issues. It shit like that, that makes you wonder. My son is making communion this year. His CCD classes are on Sunday. If they interfere with his games, he plays hockey.

If Christians believe that the fetus has a soul, aborting them would actually be the best thing you could do for them according to the Christian faith. Seeing as how they have yet to be born and can not have committed any acts at all, they can not have sin. Without sin, they do not need Jesus' sacrifice to get into heaven. Basically, an abortion sends their soul directly to heaven. Christian's should insist that all pregnant women get abortions. It's the kindest thing they could do.

I'm catholic. I made communion, confirmation, the whole 9. With that said, I find it difficult to believe some of the things that are taught and some of the beliefs that go with it. My aunt was very religious, so much so that the church she belonged to actually sainted her at her funeral. She was the most loving and caring person you could ever meet. Now tell me how a woman can devote her life and time to God and she suffer from cancer from ... who knows how long? She had a double mastectomy when I was a kid ( im 38 now) and suffered from cancer in the years leading up to her death. Her youngest child was hit by a bus, he survived and he lives on his own now but he was fucked up needless to say. Her only daughter has serious mental issues. It shit like that, that makes you wonder. My son is making communion this year. His CCD classes are on Sunday. If they interfere with his games, he plays hockey.

What do they always say, bad things happen to good people? My mom's friend, a devout woman suffered from mesothelioma (caused by asbestos exposure) for her last days on this earth, an excruciating disease that basically smothers you to death from the inside of your lungs. What did she do to deserve it? I like to think she is with her husband now.

That aside, the one thing I always ask my CCD students is why they even bother coming to class. I ask how many people, in a class of 20, actually go to mass every week, and three kids raised their hands. I ask how many go on Christmas and Easter, and they all went up. HYPOCRISY. Then I asked how many people will go to church after they make confirmation the year after I have them, and only two hands went up because their parents will make them. I told every kid to go home and ask their parents why they even bother sending the kids to CCD when a) the parents don't go to church themselves, b) the parents don't care, c) the kids don't go to church, and d) the kids don't care. What is the point? Oh boy, the office was not happy with me after that.

What do they always say, bad things happen to good people? My mom's friend, a devout woman suffered from mesothelioma (caused by asbestos exposure) for her last days on this earth, an excruciating disease that basically smothers you to death from the inside of your lungs. What did she do to deserve it? I like to think she is with her husband now.

That aside, the one thing I always ask my CCD students is why they even bother coming to class. I ask how many people, in a class of 20, actually go to mass every week, and three kids raised their hands. I ask how many go on Christmas and Easter, and they all went up. HYPOCRISY. Then I asked how many people will go to church after they make confirmation the year after I have them, and only two hands went up because their parents will make them. I told every kid to go home and ask their parents why they even bother sending the kids to CCD when a) the parents don't go to church themselves, b) the parents don't care, c) the kids don't go to church, and d) the kids don't care. What is the point? Oh boy, the office was not happy with me after that.

Cheaper than a baby sitter, I would imagine. I remember when I was young we all used to go to the local rec center which was church affiliated because you could always find enough guys there for a solid basketball game or indoor soccer game. We'd sit through what ever the week's discussion was just so we could get a good game in.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ― Neil Gaiman,

Cheaper than a baby sitter, I would imagine. I remember when I was young we all used to go to the local rec center which was church affiliated because you could always find enough guys there for a solid basketball game or indoor soccer game. We'd sit through what ever the week's discussion was just so we could get a good game in.

Well, our classes are 7-8:15 pm on Wednesday nights. It would be more a of nuisance if I was a parent.

I think I'm starting to support adult baptism. None of these people give a shit.

Yeah, I'd imagine the response would be that advocating it would be a sin, carrying it out for the mother would be a sin, performing the actual abortion would be a sin and then there's a couple of problems with potential, ie, the child could grow up to save more souls by spreading the word, or that you could possibly abort the Messiah.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ― Neil Gaiman,

Yeah, I'd imagine the response would be that advocating it would be a sin, carrying it out for the mother would be a sin, performing the actual abortion would be a sin and then there's a couple of problems with potential, ie, the child could grow up to save more souls by spreading the word, or that you could possibly abort the Messiah.

The only reason the Church is against abortion, and again, this is from my friend who went to seminary, is because the Catholic Church is worrying about their membership decreasing. As Islam and Atheism are spreading, they have a fear that Christianity will soon be extinct. What's the one way to ensure that doesn't happen? Make aborting your child a sin. This is why people were outraged when the Pope went to Africa and still insisted that using condoms is a sin. Not only is the population growing exorbitantly there, but the population of those with A.I.D.S is increasing as well. Dumbest action he could have ever made.

Jewish here. Had a Bar Mitzvah, but after that I was pretty much done with Judaism until sophomore year of High School. I joined a high school regional youth movement called NFTY (NorthAmerican Federation of Temple Youth) which is where I really "found my religion". I got incredibly involved, but I think my downfall came when I was elected for the Regional Board. That was my senior year, and after one of the regional events (we have about seven or eight), I was ready to quit because I didn't find it enjoyable anymore. I got through the rest of the year and just finished on a quiet note. Through this organization I also spent two different summers in programs, one for community service and the other for leadership training.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that though I may have lost all belief in religion and god, I found a lot of important things. I met my first girlfriend in the organization and we dated for a year and a half. I met both of my best friends through the community service program over the summer, and I've made bonds with people across the country that I won't forget anytime soon. I've learned a lot of things about myself and maybe learned a few things that have changed who I am today. I didn't really "find god", but I found other people to turn to when everything is sour, and there are some experiences that I've gone through that have made me who I am. I guess even though I'm not religious, religion really shaped me personally.